1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and the apparatus for removing and installing spindles and cutting blades and more particularly, with respect to a lawn mower having two or more cutting blades mounted on separate spindles, a method and apparatus for removing and installing such blades and spindles.
2. Description of Prior Art
In commercial lawn mowers having two or more spindle mounted cutting blades, the prior art method of removing the nut from the top of the spindle so that the spindle could be withdrawn downwardly from the pulley mounted thereon and from the mower deck and then from the mower blade itself, so that the blade could be removed and sharpened or replaced, was to reach under the mower with a wrench and grasp the head of one of the spindles with the wrench. The usual nut at the top of the spindle was then removed by using a second wrench thereon. The wrench on the head of the spindle had to be held in order to keep the wrench from moving and spindle from rotating and, since the blades are still sharp when being removed and are extremely sharp when being installed, the hand holding the wrench on the spindle head was subject to being injured.
The present invention utilizes a wrench having at least two pair of spaced operative interconnected ends; with each end being operative to secure the head of one of said spindles and with the interconnecting member being space adjustable so that the space between the operative ends can be adjusted whereby both ends can simultaneously be connected to the spindles to the prevent the rotation of the spindles and movement of the wrench so that the nut on the spindle top can be removed. To reinstall, the spindles are then re-inserted through the blades, the deck and the pulley, the heads of the spindles are held by the double ended wrench, there is no need to any longer manually hold the head wrench and the nut on the top of the spindle can be securely threaded on the top of the spindle and thereby mount the blades on the mower and remove the double ended wrench from the spindle heads.